ACCOMMODATION

Food Review: A Tasty Steak House Near the Hockey Stadium

Meat lovers rejoice! While it might be a bit of a hike from downtown, Towers Restaurant is a good place to find tender juicy steaks. The point here is to come with a fairly clear idea of what you want. Order the meat type (Fillet steak--either Aberdeen Angus from Argentina or Shorthorn from Ireland, Striploin Steak or Rib Eye), select the weight (200g, 350g, or a whopping 500g), and choose one out of the 15 or so available sauces and one side to tame your very special craving of the night. Just so you know, your chunk of meat will arrive resting upon a bed of bacon bits and green beans. Come with a big appetite.

There are options if you are less inclined to eat meat, or not that much. You can order a salad, like the tagliatta (beef slices with rocket), or a thick wiener schnitzel (breaded and fried cutlet) -- duck, pork, fish and lamb also make an appearance on the menu, as well as pasta and risottos. But the beef is so tender, it´d be a shame to pass it up. Vegetarians will have to make do with three options only. Appetizers include a deliciously thick tomato soup with the perfect amount of garlic, a steak tartare, and veal carpaccio with rocket and parmesan flakes. There are only four available deserts, chocolate-oriented, but did I mention the point of this restaurant is meat?

The wine selection is good, so your red meat isn´t left unaccompanied.

The staff is helpful and can give advice on menu items. The decor is modern and slick, and you can peek into the kitchen through an open space facing the dining room. The big plus at Towers is that the non-smoking section is completely separate from the smoking part--actually more of a lounge--which means you can enjoy your meat without the after-taste of ashtray. There is also a kid´s room with toys. Weeknights are on the quieter side, while on Friday and Saturday nights a DJ comes to the lounge, his set spilling onto the non-smoking dining room, making for absurd overlaps such as house music over Tears for Fears´ "Head Over Heels".

The prices are on the steep side, anywhere from € 20 to € 45 for an appetizer and entree depending on the size of meat you choose, but let´s face it: enjoying a good steak accompanied by good ingredients is rarely compatible with a low price, in this universe at least.

Claire Sturm grew up with recipes from Mexico, Germany, and France, sometimes in the same meal. She gradually learned that it's not necessarily the geographical origin that determines how good food is, rather the quality of the products and the honesty and care in preparation that are the key to flavourful, satisfying food.